Tribeca is a fashionable and affluent neighborhood with handsome cobblestone streets and upscale shops. It is now one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Manhattan. People traveling to New York, on their US visit Visa, generally overlook this place. But the beauty of Tribeca is that it gives you the chance to stroll casually along old cobblestone and Belgian-block streets. You can imagine the old New York when horses and buggies filled the streets.
Tribeca is the short form for “Triangle below Canal Street”. But the area is not in the shape of a triangle but that of a trapezium. You can go to Tribeca, just walk along, looking at the old and new buildings, doing some shopping and enjoying the food.
Some of the popular places in Tribeca you must see are given here.
Ghostbusters Firehouse:
A designated landmark and famously known as the “Ghostbusters firehouse”, this firehouse has been freshly refurbished. Film fans, especially those of the “Ghostbusters” franchise, will love visiting the Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 New York Fire Department fire station. Its interior has become famous because of the film. This firehouse has appeared in other films and television series too. You may be interested to know that the firefighters from this firehouse were among the first responders to the 9/11 attacks.
Staple Street Skybridge:
Staple Street is one of New York’s smallest streets, running just two blocks. A special feature of Staple Street is that it retains its original Belgian-block street. The most interesting feature is the cast-iron sky bridge, which is three stories above the sidewalk and connects two buildings. Earlier, the buildings were a hospital. More than a hundred years old, this Staple Street Skybridge still exists, and both buildings are now residential lofts and offices. Today, the third floors of both buildings together comprise a 7,500-square-foot residential loft.
The ‘Jenga’ Building:
The Jenga Building or Jenga Tower is a 57-story skyscraper on Leonard Street in Tribeca. This is an eye-catching building and consists of luxury condominiums. It looks like blocks stacked in the sky, just like the game of Jenga blocks. This unusual cantilevered design is from the Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron. Made of uneven cantilevered blocks, the design becomes progressively graceless toward the top. If you look at the building, it appears as unstable as the game blocks. Now, it is an iconic landmark of Tribeca and features among the famous monuments in the USA.
AT&T Long Lines Building:
Actor Tom Hanks called it the scariest building he had ever seen. This is the AT&T Long Lines Building, one of Manhattan’s most unusual skyscrapers and a building made for machines. The brutalist design of this building reflects its function, which is its ability to house electronic equipment while protecting it from natural and man-made threats. It is so strong that it is capable of withstanding an atomic blast and safeguarding powerful computers, cables, and switchboards. At night, the dark sky covers the lightless tower, and it appears as a black shadow.
The Mysterious Bookshop:
This is the oldest mystery specialist book store in America, opened by Otto Penzle. A must-visit destination for mystery, suspense, crime, and thriller books lovers, you will find a superb collection of signed modern First Editions, rare, collectible hardcovers, and Sherlockiana. With floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, many mystery writers sign their books at the store. The bookshop also publishes its Bibliomysteries, which are short stories and novellas set within the book world. You can even go for a Book of the Month subscription that includes a signed first edition of the shop’s choosing.
Tribeca Film Festival:
If you are in New York during April or May, you may be lucky to attend the Tribeca Film Festival, an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. Celebrities from different industries come here to view some of the best submissions of the film industry. Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff are the co-founders of this festival. The event was created to boost the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. During the pandemic, the film festival was conducted online.
Brandy Library:
With a spirits’ menu of 15 pages, the Brandy Library is the bar to spend a well-deserved evening of wining and dining. The large variety of specialty cocktails and delicacies available here satisfies your gastronomic longings. There is an extensive library of books on topics related to wine and spirits. With so much choices available, the bar’s sommeliers help you to find the perfect beverage to go with your food. If you go on a weekend, you can join a tasting session.
David Ruggles House:
Students of American History will want to visit the David Ruggles House. David Ruggles was a free African-American abolitionist. Though now this is a building with a restaurant, it was here that David Ruggles lived in the 1830s, decades before the Civil War. Slavery was still legal in the Southern states at that time. He secretly sheltered over 600 fugitive slaves while he lived at this house. His most famous refugee was Frederick Douglass, a runaway slave. Douglass later became a free man and an important leader in the abolitionist movement.
With so many iconic places to see, shops to explore, and restaurants to try out, you can easily spend many happy hours browsing in Tribeca. As many of the streets and old buildings cannot be destroyed and there are strict regulations regarding the height of the buildings, it means that Tribeca will always have that sense of history it exudes.
Being a frequent traveller if you have explored iconic and popular attractions in US, you can also explore budget-friendly small towns in USA for an interesting journey and different outlook.